My Senior Sister Says She Will Marry No One But Me - Chapter 47.2

After all, the poor taste of the northern tribes was well-known. They only valued things for their age, with no understanding of era, condition, patterns, or craftsmanship. Unscrupulous merchants and grave robbers often sold them artificially aged items, which only worsened the tribes’ resentment toward the Han people. Yet, there were some things they had no choice but to buy from the Han, a truly frustrating situation.

If it had merely been “a very old qin,” it wouldn’t have meant much. But Qin Shanshan, noticing Du Yunge’s lack of enthusiasm, added another remarkable detail about the instrument: “Whenever there’s thunder, this qin trembles slightly inside its case, as if harmonizing with the thunder. Have you ever heard of a qin so extraordinary, young sect master?”

As it turned out, Du Yunge had indeed heard of such a qin.

The Nine Heavens Circling Jade.

Since the body of the Jiuxiao Huanpei zither was crafted from cypress wood that had endured the might of heavenly thunder, it was only natural for it to resonate during intense thunderstorms. However, the northern frontier where the Hu people resided was vast and sparsely populated, and the thunder there was already deafeningly loud, carrying far and wide. When the rumbling from all directions overlapped, even a decent zither would hum in response.

To verify the suspicion in her heart, Du Yunge finally spoke to Qin Shanshan: “Aside from resonating with the thunder, are there any other distinctive features of that zither of yours?”

Qin Shanshan’s face lit up briefly before she furrowed her brows, thinking for a long while but failing to recall anything more. She could only sigh apologetically, “Ah, to be honest, that zither hasn’t been in my possession for many years now. I’ve even forgotten what it looks like.”

Du Yunge was about to say, “Then let’s forget it,” but upon second thought, something didn’t quite add up:

If this zither truly was the Jiuxiao Huanpei, how could no one have told Qin Shanshan about it all this time? And if it really was Qin Shanshan’s zither, would she, knowing it was a famous instrument, have possessed it for so many years without learning anything about it or recalling its features?

Unless the zither had never been hers to begin with.

During the era of the Five Barbarians’ chaos, the Wuzaka tribe did not exist, so the Jiuxiao Huanpei couldn’t possibly have fallen directly into their hands. But if the zither had been passed down from another tribe, the likelihood of it being the Jiuxiao Huanpei would be even greater.

To test her theory, she subtly probed further:

“Has this zither always been yours? How long have you had it in your possession?”

When answering the first question, Qin Shanshan paused almost imperceptibly, her gaze drifting slightly to the side. “It’s mine. I’ve had it for many years. It’s just a pity I don’t know how to play it. Usually, it’s maintained by a Han musician I hired specifically.”

Du Yunge’s disappointment was immediately visible. If the Wuzaka tribe employed Han musicians, then to secure a better life among them, such a musician would surely report any discoveries truthfully. After all, Han people living among the Hu tribes led difficult lives constantly on edge, wary of the foreigners, and cautious of fellow Han who might betray them for wealth and status. Trapped between both sides, they could keep no secrets. If this truly was the Jiuxiao Huanpei, it would have been revealed the moment it fell into Qin Shanshan’s hands.

Yet, the very next moment, Qin Shanshan’s words left Du Yunge utterly stunned:

“That musician also told me it wasn’t a particularly fine zither, just one with a long history. But I figured something so old must be valuable, so I thought I’d bring you, Little Sect Leader, to see it. What do you think?”

“Oh, by the way, my Han name ‘Shanshan’ was given to me by that musician. He said these two characters subtly hint at the name of this qin. Once I travel to the Central Plains, everyone will know I’m a person of refined taste, and even the songs I know were learned from him. But now it seems rather pointless, doesn’t it?” She smiled shyly, her long-lashed dark eyes curving into a charming arc:

“Young Sect Leader, please don’t laugh at me.”

But Du Yunge was no longer paying attention to what she was saying. Even being struck by lightning couldn’t compare to the shock Du Yunge was feeling inside. If she had to summarize the overwhelming information she’d received today, it could be boiled down to two points:

First, that qin really might be the Nine Heavens Circling Jade. Otherwise, why would that musician specifically teach Qin Shanshan to sing “Butterfly Loves Flowers” by Lady Li? Because coincidentally, there’s a line in “Butterfly Loves Flowers” that goes “the tinkling of jade pendants, the faint fragrance wafting” with all these coincidences, who wouldn’t believe this is the Nine Heavens Circling Jade?! Second, that musician is truly a clever person. Du Yunge put herself in his shoes and sincerely felt that if she had been half as quick-witted in her previous life, she could have definitely spread word of her mistreatment from the impregnable He Manor!

But it’s never too late to be clever, even in this second chance.

That night before bed, Du Yunge who usually stayed awake until Qin Shanshan fell asleep before daring to close her eyes for a moment unexpectedly went to sleep first, still fully dressed. This genuinely surprised Qin Shanshan, who wondered if the Young Sect Leader had changed her mind and finally saw her as a good girl, willing to follow her back to the frontier?

When someone focuses intently on one thought, the more they think about it, the more they convince themselves. Even things that are far from certain can be vividly imagined in their mind as if they’re already accomplished facts. Qin Shanshan was no exception, the more she thought about it, the happier she became. For a moment, all other thoughts vanished from her mind, and she only wanted to stay by Du Yunge’s side and watch her sleeping face.

As she watched, Qin Shanshan began to feel somewhat drowsy. She blinked hard, thinking she had slept perfectly well last night and shouldn’t be this tired so early. So she decided to get up from the edge of Du Yunge’s bed and pour herself some water from the table nearby to clear her head.

But the moment she quietly stood up.

Dizziness overwhelmed her, the world spun around her. The walls and ceiling seemed to sway violently, as if crumbling, while darkness surged toward her from all sides with overwhelming force.

The last thing she perceived from the outside world was that Du Yunge, who should have been fast asleep, had somehow risen and caught her just before she nearly crashed into the wall. Du Yunge gently laid her on the bed and whispered:

“I’m sorry, Miss Qin.”

“Even if you have a fine qin or even if you have mountains of gold, silver, jewels, and priceless treasures where you’re from, I truly have no desire to go to the frontier with you. I’m afraid I’ve wasted your kindness.”

Qin Shanshan didn’t feel anger. Instead, she felt as if all the blood in her body was boiling, bubbling and steaming in her windpipe like boiling water, making her entire heart grow warm with the heat.

She had thought she had plucked a beautiful and harmless flower, but at the critical moment, under her relentless efforts, the flower finally began to open slightly. Filled with joy, she looked inside, only to find not the delicate core she had expected, but a poisonous stamen hidden beneath layers of petals, striking her with a painful blow right from the start!

She laughed silently, closed her eyes, and before drifting off into a peaceful sleep, she thought with a hazy yet unwavering resolve:

This is simply too delightful.

Given Du Yunge’s kind-hearted nature, it was impossible for her to use anything truly vicious. Besides, she hadn’t purchased anything along the way at most, she had tampered with that bowl of sweet soup. How could it possibly harm her? Since that was the case, it was better to sleep soundly and make plans after waking up. After all, Du Yunge’s lightness skill was inferior to hers, so she couldn’t have gone far.

But plans often fail to keep up with changes.

Du Yunge’s leniency toward her did not mean the person chasing after her would be equally forgiving.

By the time Xue Shuyan finally navigated past the Hu people’s obstructions and arrived at the inn, the seventh butterfly happened to flutter its wings one last time right at the doorstep before silently falling into the dust, merging with the dirt.

The guide butterfly had exhausted itself to death. One could only wonder how many moments of rest its owner had managed to seize over the past few days.

As Xue Shuyan stepped into the inn, her hand resting on the Yanling blade at her side, the Hu staff and innkeeper all rose in unison, intent on driving out this mixed-blood intruder just like the obstacles she had encountered over the past few days. Their expressions, words, and actions were filled with nothing but disdain for her Hu-Han heritage:

“What are you doing here? This is no place for a half-breed like you.”

“Hey, are you deaf? Do we have to disgrace you and whip you out of here?”

Xue Shuyan had no desire to harm anyone. In fact, once one’s martial arts reached a certain level, there was simply no interest in engaging with such people. How could an elephant hear the cries of ants? With a graceful, almost imperceptible sidestep her movement so exquisite it could be called peerless she slipped past the two men, leaving them to collide with each other. They cried out in pain, a pitiful sight.

Amid their squabbling or more accurately, the Hu people’s one-sided resentment toward Xue Shuyan, a voice as clear as clinking jade and as melodious as an oriole’s song drifted down from the top of the stairs on the second floor. Just hearing it was enough to convince anyone that the owner of such a voice must be a beauty:

“Thank you, Elder Sister, for coming to fetch me. You’ve traveled such a long and arduous journey without rest. I am deeply indebted to you, and no amount of gratitude could ever repay your kindness.”

Xue Shuyan looked up and saw Du Yunge standing at the top of the stairs. Even if Qin Shanshan could imitate that face, the kind heart and gentle, flawless jade-like aura that Du Yunge had cultivated since childhood in the secluded Mount Wangyou were something no one else could ever replicate.

The two Hu men were still bickering over who had bumped into whom when they felt a gentle breeze brush past them. In the blink of an eye, the mixed-blood woman who had just been in the main hall was now on the stairs. No one had seen how she got there.

Xue Shuyan held Du Yunge’s hand with utmost reverence, unable to speak for a long while. Seeing Du Yunge made all the exhaustion of the past days transform into overwhelming joy. Overwhelmed by the intensity of her emotions, and already not one for many words, she found herself speechless.

In the end, it was Du Yunge who broke the silence. The young Mistress of the Miaoyin Sect immediately clutched her elder sister’s sleeve and murmured:

“I knew you would come.”

“I’m feeling a bit dizzy now, so I’ll leave everything to you, Elder Sister. You’re the only one I can trust right now. The person who kidnapped me is lying upstairs. Please go and verify if she is the Holy Maiden of the Wuzhaka tribe, Mayila, the one with the Han name Qin Shanshan, your cousin.”

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